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Fairmilehead is on
the southern outskirts of Edinburgh. It sounds like a very
pleasant place which is more than you can say for the local
Edinburgh licensing office after they slapped a ban on taxi
driver Bob McCulloch,
whose "crime" was to make two 800-mile trips to take
terminally-ill children from London to EuroDisney and back. But the petty Carriage Office officials insisted that he removed the badges he purchased when making the trip, which in many cases grant youngsters their dying wish. Speaking to Call Sign, 63-year-old Bob said he was proud to display the crest of the Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers, "but it isn’t advertising anything – I bought it to put on my cab before taking part in the annual Children's Magical Mystery Tour. I have it on my cab out of pride." But officials told him he was advertising and would have to pay the charge, even though the WCHCD crest only shows two horses and a motto in Latin. There is no name or phone number for the organisation. The London PCO places no ban on the logo. "I was told I'd have to pay a fee as they are classed as advertisements," said Bob, "but |
WCHCD DRIVER FACES BAN FOR BADGES ON CAB! Tells Call Sign: "You think the London PCO are bad…!" |
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 Banned for having this logo on his cab
I'm not advertising
anything except the taxi trade. You think the London PCO are
bad, come to Edinburgh…!" |
himself heavily involved with the
Company, told Call Sign: "This is ridiculous. These small roundels are approved in London for any member of the WCHCD. Bob - and his son Neil - are both proud members who actually travel further to get to London to pick up children for the weekend than they do from Canary Wharf to Paris! They should receive a commendation – not a bill for £70!" So annoyed at the petty bureaucracy Bob was facing, Call Sign offered to pay the £70 rather than see him lose his licence out of principle. Fortunately, a retiring member of the Edinburgh PCO, almost as a last act before standing down, put an end to the debacle and passed the logo. Bob, who drives a new TX4, ended by telling us: "Thank you Call Sign for your kind offer, but fortunately our PCO had at least one sensible person in their ranks, one who is sadly about to retire. But had he not passed the roundels, so far as paying the £70 was concerned, the words hell and freeze over spring to mind!" |
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Former Dial-a-Cab driver, Bob Woodford, writes a regular column for Call Sign from his home in Languedoc, France… CALL SIGN EN LA BELLE FRANCE |
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| Despite the recent
gloriously hot weather and the therapy of
cleaning client’s swimming pools down here
on the Mediterranean, I have been backwards
and forwards from Stansted airport much more
often than I would have assumed for early
summer. The reason is that I have been negotiating with a Colchester-based estate agent who is keen on marketing the French property we have for sale on our books. It looks to be worthwhile and very promising as they intend putting on a show one weekend later in the summer. It might entice 'Essex Man' to buy a holiday home in the South of France, knowing the transport route is right on his doorstep! But what have been disappointing are the regular trips that I’ve had to make to try to get the tenant in my Southfields flat evicted. However, at last, he has decided to leave – that’s the good news Not so good is that he is in rent arrears by £2,800 and seems to have unilaterally decided that I no longer required the furniture in the flat, which he then kindly took with him - a sort of unofficial house clearance if you like! The place was left in a state with damaged walls and work surfaces, so if I do need to re-let it - and I do – I’ll have to redecorate and replace the furniture and of course it all takes time and money! But how about this? I had an inventory check out from my letting agents confirming the rent arrears and stolen furniture, went to Wandsworth Police who apologised, but then informed me that "this is not theft!" Now I remember why I decided to move down to the South of France! But it’s not all bad, the Old Bill were "happy" to offer me a counselling service - what a load of round dangly bits! They won't get any further help from me whenever I'm back in the saddle. Many Dial-a-Cab subscribers have subscribed to my Ezine Newsletter, which keeps folk on top of what’s going on down here in the French property market. Drop me a line if you’d like one to robert@immoboulevard.com and receive a regular copy. Also, check out our site at www.immoboulevard-herault.com for the latest deals… Until next time - a bientot… Bob Woodford (Ex-P49) |
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